Contact-us

Lyon, an international centre of innovation

Many people from Lyon have made major contributions to the sciences, the arts and to innovation over the centuries, such as the Lumière brothers, inventors of cinema; André Ampère in the field of physics, and Claude Bernard and Marcel Mérieux in medicine. Lyon has always been at the heart of innovation and continues to develop centres for research and sciencethat remain at the cutting edge of technology.

Key Figures

1st smart connected city in France

2nd digital hub in France

600 public and private laboratories

13,300 researchers, including 1,800 from abroad

19,000 researchers Rhône-Alpes, making the region fourth for the number of researchers (LyonBioPôle)

4 scientific and technological sites facilitating collaboration between higher education establishments and business

5,400 PhD students, 800 theses per year

13 centres and 14 clusters in the Rhône-Alpes region

Lyon is the 2nd area in France in terms of patent applications, collaboration between business and educational and research centres, and total spending on research and development

6 business clusters

The business clusters were created in 2005 to improve competitiveness by enhancing and drawing on the relevant key success factors, namely the capacity for innovation and the development of growth and jobs in lead markets.

3 sectors of excellence

Life sciences

Lyon is particularly well-known for its biotech sector. Its fields of excellence are infectious diseases, oncology and neurosciences. The sector is a world leader in human and animal vaccines and in bacteriological diagnosis. It is also home to the 1st biological production centre in the world. The Edouard Herriot hospital is one of the 10 best hospitals in the world (Newsweek, 2007).

Cleantechnology

In order to reduce its environmental impact, Lyon has implemented policies to promote cleantechnology and has started energy transition on a significant scale. It is operating as a trial area, experimenting in fields as diverse as transport, housing, commercial property and even water.

Digital

Lyon’s strong culture of entrepreneurship and working together and its ambitious public and private schemes for supporting new projects and ideas make it an ideal location for digital entrepreneurs!

Recognised research establishments and institutions

Large research centres, foundations and scientific facilities are located in the region:

Fondation Mérieux

Fondation scientifique de Lyon et du Sud Est (the Scientific Foundation of Lyon and the South East)

CERN (Centre Européen de Recherche Nucléaire or the European Organization for Nuclear Research)

CEA-LETI (Leti’s Center for Research and Specialized Technology in micro and nanotechnologies)

Minatec

International Agency for Research on Cancer

French Institute of Petroleum

WHO

Two Instituts de Recherche Technologique (IRT) or Technological Research Institutes are located at Gerland in Lyon, namely LyonBioTech and BIOASTER. These centres are primarily dedicated to research into infectiology and microbiology.

Support for innovative entrepreneurs in the Lyon region

Are you an innovative start-up wanting to invest in or develop in the region?

A great number of programmes are available to support you, such as Lyon and Saint Etienne’s French Tech communities and Big Booster.

Aderly, as part of its mission to support companies wanting to develop or set up in the Lyon region, offers Lyon Start Box, a specially-designed package to help kick-start your business rapidly and test Lyon’s market.

Innovations for city life and transport

Lyon has also played a pioneering role in rolling out other innovations within the area, such as the provision of bicycles to citizens to encourage ecological behaviour through the Vélo’V scheme, the precursor of the Vélib’ scheme in Paris. Another example is the tunnel under the Croix Rousse hill dedicated to “soft” modes of transport and used by pedestrians and bicyles. Car club schemes that make vehicles available 24/7 to pick up and drop off around the city are booming in Lyon and herald the transport modes of the city of the future.

The Lyon Smart City scheme, which experiments in Lyon as a trial area, demonstrates the city’s commitment to taking a smart city approach.

Also see

What is the life science market in Lyon?

Who are the actors in renewable energy in Lyon?

How is the Lyon Region becoming a “smart city”?

What is Greater Lyon’s position on sustainable development?

Should my business pay income tax or corporate tax?

What criteria do I need to meet to claim financial aid for the creation of my business?

How can I access business partnerships?

What steps are involved in establishing a business in the Lyon area?

What steps do I need to take to create my business?

Should my business pay income tax or corporate tax?

What criteria do I need to meet to claim financial aid for the creation of my business?